Kyphocalanidae

Markhaseva, Elena L. & Schulz, Knud, 2009, A new family and genus of calanoid copepods (Crustacea) from the abyss of the Atlantic Ocean, Zootaxa 2304, pp. 21-40 : 22

Family Kyphocalanidae fam. nov.

Diagnosis. Female. Small copepods with very short urosome. Cephalosome anteriorly strongly bent, more or less right-angled in lateral view. Rostrum present as two short, strong points lacking filaments. Antenna basis and endopod segment 1 without setae, inner lobe of segment 2 with 3-4 setae. Mandible endopod segment 1 without setae; exopod 5-segmented. Praecoxal endite of maxillule with 3 setae; proximal basal endite without setae; distal basal endite with 1 seta. Praecoxal endites and distal coxal endite of maxilla with 2 setae each; basal endite as 1 strong spine; endopod with 8 long and thick, worm-like sensory setae. Praecoxal lobes of maxilliped syncoxa with setal formula 1,2,0, all setae transformed into worm-like sensory setae. Swimming legs as typical of Clausocalanoidea: P1 endopod 1-segmented, P2 endopod 2-segmented, and P3–P4 endopods 3-segmented. P1–P4 exopods 3-segmented. P1 exopod segment 3 with 3 medial setae, P2–P4 exopod segment 3 with 4 medial setae. P5 present, uniramous.

Type genus. Kyphocalanus gen. nov.

Remarks. The new family shares sensory setae on maxilla and maxilliped with a group of clausocalanoidean Bradfordian families including Diaixidae , Parkiidae , Phaennidae , Rostrocalanidae , Scolecitrichidae and Tharybidae . However, Kyphocalanidae is unique among all Bradfordians in possessing the following apomorphies: i) praecoxal arthrite of maxillule with 3 setae (vs usually 9 setae or more in other Bradfordians); ii) maxilla proximal coxal endite with 2 setae (vs 3 setae in other Bradfordians); iii) maxilla distal basal endite plus endopod with 8 very long and thick worm-like sensory setae longer than all remaining sclerotized setae of maxilla (vs 3-6 worm-like sensory setae of moderate length present in other Bradfordians, except the male of Kirnesius Markhaseva & Semenova, 2005 (whose family placement in Phaennidae is under review) bears 8 worm-like sensory setae of slender appearance shorter than sclerotized setae of maxilla); and iv) praecoxal lobes of maxilliped with a setal formula as 1,2,0 (vs 1,2,3; 1,2,2; 1,1,2; 1,2,1; 0,2,3; 0,2,2; 0,1,2; or 0,0,0 in other Bradfordians).